Safe In Your Arms
by Knope.We.Can
Summary: One night Jesse goes too far and Beca seeks help from the only person she knows she can trust. Bechloe one-shot. Trigger warning. Rated T for language.


**Been working on this one for a few days, not too sure if I like how it turned out. Let me know what you think :) Trigger warning: abuse. **

**I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters :)**

* * *

Chloe was jolted awake by the feeling of her phone vibrating in her pocket. She realised she must have fallen asleep on the sofa in the middle of the movie she was watching with Aubrey. The blonde giggled at her friend.

"Who's calling you at this time?" Aubrey asked, pausing the DVD. Chloe checked her phone, her brows furrowing slightly.

"It's Beca." She answered the call, and left the room. "Hello?" She was met with silence. Not total silence. She could hear what sounded like wind and someone breathing. "Did you pocket dial me again?" Chloe tried to keep the exasperation out of her voice.

"Chloe." Beca finally spoke. Her voice was small and scared sounding. Nothing like how Beca normally sounds. "Chloe I need help."

"Where are you?" Chloe said, quickly pulling on a jacket.

"The park. Sorry to call you so late, I didn't know what else to do." There was a slight shake to Beca's voice now.

"Hey, don't be sorry. I'll be there in five, okay?"

"Thank you." The phone clicked off.

"Where are you going?" Aubrey asked, eyebrows raised.

"Something's happened." Chloe said, frantically searching for her shoes.

"Why can't Jesse help her?" Aubrey knew Chloe still had feelings for the tiny brunette and didn't like the way she would go running after her at the drop of a hat.

"I don't know 'Bree. But she asked for help, so I'm going to help her. Where the fuck are my shoes?!" She shouted, more to herself.

"Calm down." Aubrey said, picking up Chloe's shoes from beside her chair.

"Thanks." Seconds later Chloe was out of the door and speeding towards the park. It took her a while to locate Beca. Her eyes searched the dimly lit park but then finally found her, sitting on a swing. Chloe had never seen her look so small. She quickly made her way over there. The sound of fast approaching footsteps snapped Beca out of her thoughts. She flung herself from the swing and spun around, backing away from whoever was approaching her. "It's just me, Becs." Chloe said softly, seeing the fear in her friend's eyes. Beca's shoulders slumped and she dropped down onto a nearby bench. Chloe sat beside her, waiting for her to speak, but she didn't. "What's going on?" Beca looked up and Chloe saw her face properly, lit up in the moonlight. She had tears shining in her eyes and blood coming from a cut above her eye. "Who did this to you?" Chloe said, swallowing her anger. There was an edge to her voice that Beca hadn't heard before. Her eyes dropped to her knees.

"Jesse." She said, her hands squeezed together, knuckles almost white. Chloe swore she could feel her blood boiling. She'd be the first to admit she wasn't Jesse's number one fan but she never thought he'd be capable of this. "I don't know what to do, Chlo." Beca whispered before she started shaking with suppressed sobs. Chloe pulled the smaller girl into her arms.

"Here's what we do. We'll go back to my place. Aubrey will take a look at your head, then we'll go to bed. We'll figure out the rest tomorrow." Chloe said softly, gently rubbing her back.

"You don't have to do that." Beca said, her sobs subsiding.

"Do you think I'm letting you go back to that bastard? Do you think I'm going to let him anywhere near you? No fucking way." Chloe said, holding Beca at arms length. Beca could see the anger in Chloe's eyes. "Come on." She took Beca's hand and the pair walked back to Chloe's apartment.

"You've been gone ages." Aubrey said from the kitchen as she heard the front door open and close. She walked into the living room and almost dropped the cup she was holding as she caught sight of Beca. "Sit. Now." She barked, walking into the kitchen and retrieving her first aid kit along with a small bowl of water and a clean cloth. Aubrey was a med student and Chloe always found herself in awe of her friend when she would switch into doctor-mode. "Jacket off." She said when she returned. Beca hesitated. "Beca." Aubrey's voice softened. Beca sighed slightly and pulled her jacket off. Chloe squeaked as she repressed a cry. Her wrists and upper arms were covered in small bruises. The kind of bruises that you get from being gripped by a pair of vice-like hands. Aubrey sat down on the coffee table in front of the brunette and began gently cleaning the blood from her face. Chloe sat down beside Beca and took one of her hands in her own, gently tracing patterns along the bruises. "You won't need stitches." Aubrey said when it was finally clean. She reached into her first aid box and pulled out an antiseptic wipe. "This might sting a bit." She said before lightly pressing the wipe to the cut. Beca winced slightly and squeezed Chloe's hand.

"How long has he been doing this, Becs?" Chloe said, as Aubrey applied a band-aid to the cut.

"A few months." She said softly.

"Jesus, Beca." Aubrey hissed, tears springing to her eyes. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"He only did it a few times. He gets jealous and angry and lashes out. But never like he did tonight. He went too far."

"The second he put his hands on you he went too far, Beca." Chloe said, squeezing Beca's hand, tears brimming in her eyes.

"I know. I just thought I could handle it. I'm an idiot." She couldn't face looking at either of the girls so she kept her eyes fixed on hers and Chloe's entwined hands.

"You're out of it now, that's what matters." Aubrey said, squeezing the girl's knee lightly before taking the box back into the kitchen.

"Bed time." Chloe said with a small smile when the brunette tried to stifle a yawn. The pair entered Chloe's room and the redhead tossed Beca some clothes to wear, before turning so she could change.

"Have we been learning about boundaries, Beale?" Beca said with a grin. "I think this is the first time you've turned away without me having to tell you."

"I'm learning all the time." Chloe laughed before Beca told her she could look. Beca looked even smaller than usual in Chloe's clothes. She looked so vulnerable that Chloe had to fight the urge to pull her into her arms again. Instead she swallowed the lump in her throat and pulled back the blankets so Beca could climb into her bed. She was about to leave when Beca grabbed her hand. She pulled her down so she was sat on the bed.

"Thank you for tonight." Beca said, her voice small. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"I'd do anything for you Becs." Chloe said, her voice cracking slightly. Not wanting to cry in front of her, she stood. "Goodnight." Her voice was barely a whisper. She was planning on sleeping on the sofa.

"I shouldn't have kissed him that night." Beca spoke when Chloe was almost at the door. "I should have kissed you."

"Why didn't you?" Chloe said, her heart breaking and tears spilling down her face.

"I thought I was supposed to be with Jesse. He was always pushing for it. It felt like everyone was. But it wasn't right. As soon as I kissed him I knew it was a mistake but I didn't want to hurt him so I tried to make it work." She gave a hollow laugh. "I'm an idiot." Chloe approached the bed again. "I never thought I'd have a shot with you. You're so out of my league." Chloe smiled slightly, tears still falling. "I'm crazy about you." Beca sat up and cupped Chloe's face with her hand.

"Then kiss me." Chloe whispered. Beca closed the gap between them without a seconds hesitation. Kissing Chloe was everything that kissing Jesse wasn't. It was warming and tender but with an unexpected heat. "I've been waiting to do that since I met you." Chloe said huskily.

"Best kiss ever." Beca whispered, pressing their foreheads together. Chloe climbed into the bed and wrapped Beca in her arms, the brunette's back pressed into her front. They laid like that for a while before Chloe spoke up again.

"What happened tonight?" She asked, curious to know what Jesse's excuse was.

"I was late home from the radio station." Beca said softly, holding Chloe's hand.

"That's it?" Chloe felt her blood boiling again.

"He thinks I'm fucking Luke." Beca's voice shook with anger. Beca spoke about how he had grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the ground, hitting her head on the coffee table on the way down. When he saw Beca bleeding he freaked out and left. "He really scared me tonight." She added after she finished telling Chloe what happened. Chloe's grip around her waist tightened. Beca remembered how she felt, sitting on that swing, staring at Chloe's name on her phone. She knew as soon as she called her that there'd be no going back. No more hiding. That thought had scared her almost more than the thought of going back to Jesse.

"Aubrey's moving in with Stacie at the end of the month. You should come and live here. We can grab your stuff tomorrow." Chloe spoke, trying not to sound too hopeful.

"Are you sure?" Beca shifted so she was facing Chloe. The redhead nodded and gently brushed the hair from Beca's face. "Thank you. But I'll go by myself tomorrow. I don't want you to get hurt." Chloe planted a kiss on Beca's forehead before the brunette turned around again. Chloe softly played with Beca's hair until she fell asleep, feeling safe and loved for the first time in months.

* * *

The next day Beca was in her bathroom, her hands clutching the bathroom sink. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her breathing uneven. She slowly opened her eyes and spat out a mouthful of blood. She turned on the tap and took in a mouthful of the cool water, rinsing it around her mouth and spitting it back out, trying to rid her mouth of the metallic taste. She pressed a hand to her ribs and winced at the pain. Lifting up her shirt she saw bruises already starting to form. She pulled her top down, deciding she would inspect the rest of her injuries later, for now she just had to get out of there. With a trembling hand, she slid the lock of the bathroom door open and turned the handle. She let out a shaky breath when she saw that apartment was empty. Her bag of clothes that had been hastily packed was empty, the contents strewn around the room. She moved quickly, grabbing the clothes and shoving them unceremoniously into the bag, desperate to get out of there before Jesse decided to come home. She gave the apartment one last look before swinging the bag over her shoulder, pulling up her hood and leaving the place for what she hoped would be the last time.

After almost twenty minutes of painfully fast walking, Beca finally arrived at Chloe's apartment. She raised her arm to knock but before she could the door swung open and she was pulled inside and enveloped in a warm hug. She could smell Chloe's passion fruit body-butter and the almost intoxicating natural scent of her hair. Beca closed her eyes and relaxed into the hug, ignoring the pain that was radiating through her.

"You scared me." Chloe whispered, tightening her grip on the small brunette. "When you didn't answer my calls I thought..." She trailed off, unable to voice her greatest fears.

"I'm sorry." Beca finally spoke, her voice was shaky and small. "He... He broke my phone."

"We were about to come and get you when you turned up." Aubrey said, placing a hand on Chloe's back so she would finally release Beca. She did and then pulled Beca's hood down and cupped her face in her hands, searching the brunette's eyes. She saw a mixture of pain, fear and relief reflected back to her.

"Are you okay?" Chloe asked, wiping away the few tears that had spilled from the stormy blue eyes. Beca nodded, closing her eyes at the contact. Chloe ran her hand through the smaller girls hair and she winced. Chloe pulled her hand back and saw blood. "Holy shit, Becs."

"It's fine." Beca mumbled. Aubrey was already at her back, checking the cuts on her head.

"They aren't too bad. You should be okay." Aubrey said finally.

"Thanks." Beca said, trying to disguise the pain in her voice. "Can I take a shower?" She asked, desperate to wash the blood out of her hair.

"Of course." Chloe said leading her to the bathroom. "I'll be right outside if you need anything." Chloe planted a small kiss on Beca's cheek, causing the brunette to blush. Beca closed the bathroom door and began to strip off. She stood under the hot jet of water and gently ran her hands through her hair, trying to rinse out the blood. After a few minutes her legs started to shake so she sat down and watched as the water that pooled around her began to be tinged with red. Once the water ran clear again she turned off the shower and began drying off in the bathroom, finally taking in the sight of her beat-up body. And all at once the events of the day came crashing into her and she felt herself crumble. She hadn't even realised how loud she was crying until she heard Chloe's gentle knocking on the door. "Becs." Her voice said softly. Beca hastily threw on her clothes and opened the door. Chloe stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her and pulling Beca into her arms again. "It's okay." She whispered, lowering the pair to the floor, resting their backs against the wall. "You're okay." After a few minutes Beca stopped crying, her breathing evening out. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not yet." Beca said, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. They didn't talk about it until later that night when Beca was once again wrapped safely in her arms. The redhead was planting gentle kisses on the base of Beca's neck when she noticed the bruising that was there.

"What did he do?" She said, pulling away from Beca so she could trace the bruises with her hands.

"He went crazy." Beca said, her voice catching slightly. She began to tell Chloe what had happened.

When she arrived back at the apartment earlier that day it was empty. She saw that the blood she had left on the coffee table had been cleaned up so she knew Jesse had been back here. As quickly as she could, she went into their bedroom and shoved her clothes and mixing equipment into her bag. She made her way out of the room only to find Jesse standing there, a bunch of flowers in his hands. Beca dropped her bag quickly, hoping he hadn't seen.

"Where did you go last night?" He said softly.

"Chloe's." Beca tried to keep her voice steady.

"Babe, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to get so angry last night. I just don't like it when I don't know where you are." He approached her, holding out the flowers. Beca took a step back.

"You knew I was at the radio station, Jesse." Beca could feel her heart pounding.

"Doing what at the station though?" His voice wasn't soft and apologetic anymore. "You didn't text me back."

"I was working." Beca tried to keep her own voice calm, hoping it would keep him from getting angry. "You know Luke doesn't let you have your phone in the booth." She saw Jesse tense his fist and her mouth went dry. "Come on, Jess." She said backing away again. "Not today. Please." He looked down at his hand and seemed surprised that it was balled into a fist.

"Sorry." He said, the hard edge leaving his voice. He relaxed his hands and took a step back. Beca let out a sigh of relief. It was then that Jesse's brows furrowed. "What's in the bag, Becs?" Beca squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself. He grabbed it and opened it. "You're leaving me." His voice was calm and steady but that didn't make Beca feel any safer.

"I'm going to stay with Chloe for a while." She said. "I can't do this anymore Jesse. One day you're going to go too far and I'm going to get really hurt."

"It's funny." Jesse said, holding one of Beca's shirts in his hands. "I always thought Luke was the threat. I should have known if you were cheating on me with anyone it would have been Chloe." And he started throwing her clothes out of the bag before dropping it to the floor. "You always liked her, didn't you?"

"Jesse, calm down." She had backed so far away from him that she hit the wall. It was then her phone started ringing.

"Don't answer it." He said, speeding towards her. He reached into her pocket and pulled it out, seeing Chloe's name flashing on the screen. He walked away with it in his hands before turning and throwing it at the wall, missing her head by inches. She let out a small whimper of fear. "You aren't leaving me." He stormed forwards and slammed his fist into her stomach. She groaned at the pain and slid down the wall, he kicked her in the ribs as she hit the floor. "Look at what you made me do Beca!" He shouted, punching his fist into the wall. He crouched down in front of her. "I love you." His eyes sparkled with unshed tears.

"This isn't love Jesse." Beca said, gasping in pain. His eyes went dark again and his hand closed around her throat, lifting her up so her feet no longer touched the ground. Beca kicked her legs against him and gripped his arms, clawing at his hands so he would let her go. He slammed her head into a nearby mirror, the glass cracking. She stopped kicking him. "Please." She managed to stammer out before he threw her into a wall again. It was only when he felt her grip on his arm slacken and her whimpers die out that he let her go, dropping her in a crumpled heap on the floor. She heard his footsteps die away and the front door slam as she managed to crawl into the bathroom, sliding the lock across the door and finally closing her eyes as she lay against the cool floor tiles. She woke up after a few minutes and forced herself to stand up, gripping the sink in support as she fought the urge to throw up.

When Beca had finished talking she was aware of the sound of Chloe's gentle sobbing. She turned and faced the redhead, wiping her tears away with a brush of her thumb.

"He almost killed you." She said in a broken whisper. Beca nodded softly, her hand resting on Chloe's cheek. "Are you sure you're okay?" She asked her hand gently lying on Beca's waist.

"I am now." Beca pressed their lips together. Chloe smiled and pulled Becs so that her head was resting on Chloe's chest. The small brunette closed her eyes, listening to Chloe's steady heartbeat. Feeling safe in the redhead's arms, she allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

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**For the record I actually like Jesse, I just wish he was a best friend not a love interest :P**


End file.
